Caribbean Bridges: Inter-American Cultural Perspectives in the Work of William Carlos Williams

Abstract

This article explores the work of William Carlos Williams through the lens of Inter-American cultural perspectives, highlighting how his Puerto Rican heritage and his profound links with Caribbean, Peninsular, and Colonial Spanish literary and cultural traditions shaped his artistic vision. Beyond a mere biographical influence, this study argues that Williams was a pioneer in cultural and linguistic mediation, using his poetry and prose as a space for translation not only of language, but of geographical and cultural realities that transcended conventional borders. This article will analyze how his “American language” is nourished by an inherent hybridity, a reflection of the complex diasporic identity and the dynamics of borders that define the Americas. Furthermore, the article will examine how his practice in the medical humanities and his attention to health and culture intertwine with these perspectives, revealing a sensitivity toward transcultural populations and their challenges. By illuminating Williams’s work as a vibrant transcontinental dialogue, this seeks to reevaluate his contemporary relevance in discussions of hybrid identity, migration, translation, and the continuous flow of ideas and people in the American continent.